Stamps tell Messam to test out free agency

Stamps tell Messam to test out free agency

The Calgary Stampeders will not be re-signing Jerome Messam before the CFL free-agency window opens Tuesday.

Stamps president/GM John Hufnagel revealed the news Thursday afternoon, and while the team isn’t shutting the door on Messam returning to McMahon Stadium next season, they’re allowing him to see what other teams are willing to offer him in free agency.

“We told Jerome to go into free agency and see what’s out there and call us if they’d like to,” Hufnagel said.

Messam has been a big part of the Stampeders teams that have gone to back-to-back Grey Cups in the last two seasons.

In 2016, he led the CFL in rushing yards with 1,198 yards on the ground and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian while also earning West Division and league all-star nods.

After undergoing knee surgery in the off-season, Messam returned in 2017 and ran for 1,016 yards and nine touchdowns.

He was, again, a key part of the Stampeders offence and was named Most Valuable Canadian in the team’s loss to the Toronto Argonauts in the Grey Cup.

If Messam does leave, it will likely mean the Stampeders start an American at running back for the majority of the 2018 season. That hasn’t happened since before the days of Jon Cornish, but there’s not an obvious Canadian candidate for the full-time job moving forward.

Americans Terry Williams and Dominique Williams are both highly-regarded within the organization and could be due big bump-ups in playing time, while the still unsigned Roy Finch – more on him later – showed that he could be an option when he ran for 81 yards on four carries in the 2017 West final against the Edmonton Eskimos.

Calgarian Anthony Woodson was signed last year but struggled through injuries and played in only three games, so it’s unlikely that he would be the team’s first option heading into the season if he is re-signed.

WALL RE-SIGNS

Another day, another defensive back re-ups with the Stampeders.

On Thursday, only a day after cornerback Ciante Evans signed a new deal with the club, DB Jamar Wall joined him and committed to a new contract with the Stampeders.

Wall has been with the Stampeders since 2012 and was a key piece of the Stamps dominant defensive secondary last season.

The move means the Stamps have now locked-up nearly all of their starters from 2018. Safety Josh Bell retired from playing and became the Stampeders DB coach, but the Stamps have already re-signed Brandon Smith, Wall, Ciante Evans and appear to be closing in on a new deal with Tommie Campbell.

That’s something Bell had said was a priority for him when he took the coaching position.

“I would love to have the exact same group back in the room,” Bell said. “At that point in time, I’d know for a fact we can be successful and play at a Grey Cup championship level.

“I need Jamar Wall and Brandon Smith — as a coach, I need those guys because they’re going to help me coach and help be my translators to the young players we bring in to compete and the veteran guys who make my job easier.”

On Thursday, Hufnagel said he was hoping to get Campbell to sign a new contract before the free-agency window opens Tuesday.

“He was supposed to come in for a meeting (Thursday) morning, I’m sure he looked out his window and said ‘I’ll postpone,’” Hufnagel said. “Hopefully, he’ll come in (Friday) morning. We’re very, very close unless there’s something that’s come up since our last conversation.”

MORE UPDATES

Hufnagel also provided details on where negotiations stood with several other pending free agents, including Finch.

“Obviously, he’s a priority,” Hufnagel said. “I’ve spoken with him and his agent several times. It’s not moving as quickly as I would like, but there are things I can’t control, either.”

Like Finch, receiver DaVaris Daniels has also been testing the NFL waters, but Hufnagel said the Stampeders have sent his agent a contract and are waiting to hear back.

If Daniels were to find an NFL team to play for next season, there are surely fans who would love to see former CFL all-star Eric Rogers back in the fold and catching passes from Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell.

It sounds like that might take some waiting, though.

“We’ve had discussions with Eric — he still has a lot of hope for the NFL,” Hufnagel said. “I don’t think he’s healthy enough to work out for the NFL teams yet, and I don’t think he’s going to make a commitment to the Canadian Football League until he knows he was fully healthy and had the chance to show himself in front of NFL scouts again.”

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